Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Linda Kuehne is interested in the role architecture plays in conveying the spirit of a place and the health of a communitiy. The brooding suburban landscapes in these series symbolize a malaise that is palpable througout the country. What happens when dreams are ignored or postponed? The American Dream seems to be dying for a lot of people. This poem was a warning that deferred dreams will lead to social unrest. For Hughes, it was social unrest for the residents of Harlem post World War II. For many today, the unrest stems from a post-industrial America that has meant that they are not living at the same standard that their parents did. The optimism that was always part of the American dream seems to be fading, just like the buildings that surround us.

The photographs in this series are captured digitally and presented as archival pigment prints in editions of 10. Print size is 24 x 34".